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Coleman Cold Heat Soldering Iron

Rating: 5 out of 5

Currently 5.0/5.0

Coleman's innovative Cold Heat Soldering Iron is simply amazing. The small battery powered soldering gun is truly revolutionary. If you have used the old fashion 100 watt, plugged guns of the past, you must try this cordless unit.

The name 'Cold Heat' comes from the fact that the tip heats up rapidly and cools in just about an instant. Talk about safe. Since the tip cools and there are no parts that remain hot, it is very safe to use (But I would still use it with care).
The unit is small and light. It runs on four AA batteries, that seem to last forever. According to the box, the batteries should last for " over 700 solder joints." It is rated for regular, lead-free solder. But it can also be used with silver-based solder. The best performance can be expected with solder/wire between 18 AWG and 20 AWG. You could go as high as 24 AWG, but I would expect that would take longer then usual.
This Soldering Gun comes in a nice hard plastic case, perfect to protect it and store it safely. There is no room in the case for extra batteries, but it does come with an extra tip.
The gun heats up in a few seconds. I might not be as fast as a plugged in unit, but usually you can start soldering in under ten seconds. I found this Cold Heat soldering gun worked best if you allowed it to heat up for a few seconds, and then gave the joint about 6 - 10 to heat up before applying the solder. In my experience the average user would not be able to notice the difference between a joint solder with his gun or a larger plugged in one.
Under the heat tip is a small light, which is very bright and provides a great means to light up your work. There is also a small indicator light on top of the unit which glows red when the tip is hot.
The small lightweight and portable size of this powerhouse would make a great addition to anyone's tool kit. I can foresee some hobbyist or home repair people owning more then one. Simply because of it's size, power and convenience. -Reviewed by ConchRaider 12/14/2010